Ballmer
has won the bidding process by offering what would be the highest price
ever paid for an NBA team. The previous high was $550 million to buy
the Milwaukee Bucks. Donald Sterling and wife Shelly Sterling each own
50% of the Clippers. The sale requires Donald Sterling's approval.

LUCY NICHOLSON/REUTERSNBA bigot Donald Sterling bought the Clippers for $12.5 million in 1981. Now he's been offered $2 billion to sell it.

Grime pays.

Donald Sterling, the basketball bigot, is on the verge of a $2 billion
payday after a former Microsoft CEO made the stunning offer to buy the
Los Angeles Clippers.

The proposal from Steve Ballmer sets the stage for what would be the
highest price ever paid for an NBA team. The previous high was the $550
million doled out last month for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Sterling, 80, would need to approve the bid, according to the Los
Angeles Times, which first reported the tentative deal. And
three-fourths of the other 29 team owners and the NBA commissioner would
also have to sign off on it. The latter moves are expected to be a
layup.

The staggering offer could soon bring to a close a tumultuous chapter
for the franchise that was thrust into national controversy after
recordings surfaced last month of Sterling making racist comments about
African-Americans.

Sterling chided gal pal V. Stiviano for posting an Instagram photo of
herself and L.A. Lakers great Magic Johnson. Then he urged Stiviano, who
is Mexican and black, not to bring blacks to Clippers games.

Johnson on Thursday welcomed Ballmer’s bid.

“Steve Ballmer owning the Clippers is a big win for the City of LA and
all the people who live in the City of Angels!” he tweeted.

The Hall of Fame hoopster said Ballmer, 58, who is worth a reported $20 billion, would be a far different owner from Sterling.

The chief exec for Microsoft for 14 years, Ballmer faced down stiff
competition from local investment groups, including a consortium headed
by music mogul David Geffen, which bid $1.6 billion, the paper said.

DANNY MOLOSHOK/REUTERSShelly Sterling and husband Donald Sterling each own 50% of the Clippers. The team cannot be sold without Donald's approval.

Geffen’s group included fellow billionaire Oprah Winfrey, as well as
executives from Chicago-based Guggenheim Partners, the owners of
baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers.

The possible deal was spearheaded by Sterling’s estranged wife Shelly, who owns 50% of the team.

It came through just five days before the NBA planned to hold a hearing
that could have terminated the Sterling family’s ownership of the
Clippers.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver slammed Donald Sterling with an
unprecedented lifetime ban for his remarks, imposed a $2.5 million fine,
and ordered him to sell his franchise.

Donald
Sterling made racist remarks toward black people in a conversation with
V. Stiviano (pictured), his alleged mistress. The discussion was
recorded and made public last month.

Sterling reacted by saying it was “illegal” for the NBA to terminate
his ownership. Now he stands to make a pretty penny. He paid $12.5
million for the Clippers in 1981.

Only the sale of the Dodgers in 2012 for $2.1 billion has racked up a higher price for a sports franchise in North America.

Ballmer’s offer was well over the reported value of the Clippers, which Forbes in January estimated to be about $575 million.

The Knicks had been the top NBA franchise, worth $1.4 billion, Forbes said.

But former Sacramento Kings owner Joe Maloof said Ballmer made a “tremendous” buy.

“He got a bargain. There’s nothing like sports franchises in the big
cities. Steve did the right thing, even if he overpaid in the short
term. Long term, it’s a smart play,” Maloof told Bloomberg news.

Stephen Dunn/Getty ImagesClippers fans are pleading for the racist owner to sell the teamIt’s still not certain that Ballmer’s $2 billion bid will pass muster with the mercurial Sterling.A source with knowledge of the negotiations told the AP the banned NBA
owner hadn’t participated in the frantic wheeling-and-dealing“At the end of the day, he has to sign off on the final process.
They’re not going to sell his 50% without him agreeing to it,” the
source said.Donald Sterling’s attorney also told reporters Thursday night that it wasn’t going to happen.

A deal to sell the Clippers has reportedly been made without Donald Sterling’s consent. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

Clippers owner Donald Sterling was recently declared “mentally incapacitated” by experts, according to ESPN.com. ESPN.com’s Ramona Shelburne
reports the disgraced Clippers owner was ruled mentally unfit to
negotiate the sale of the team, leading his wife, Shelly, to be declared
the sole trustee of the family’s trust. On Thursday, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer reportedly signed a $2 billion agreement to buy the Clippers
from the Sterlings. The bid will be submitted to the NBA for final
approval, but does not need confirmation from Donald Sterling due to his
mental condition.

The signed deal with Ballmer still does not indicate a final sale of
the Clippers. The league and its owners still have to approve the deal,
and there is always a chance Donald Sterling challenges his wife’s
decision in court.

SI.com’s Michael McCann reported
Thursday that the NBA could fast track the sale of the Clippers if it
has a “favorable impression” about a prospective owner. Ballmer would
seem to fit the criteria, having made a record offer and being
previously vetted by the NBA in an attempt to buy the Kings. McCann also
reports that the league could postpone Tuesday’s owners meeting, which
is set to hold a vote on the ousting of Clippers owner Donald Sterling.
From McCann:

Sources tell SI.com that the NBA’s top priority is for
ownership to be transferred, and the league would welcome the exchange
occurring voluntarily. A voluntary transfer would avert a potentially
contentious hearing next Tuesday and, more importantly, avert the
potential of Sterling filing a costly and lengthy lawsuit against the
NBA and its owners.

Sterling, 80, has owned the Clippers for 33 years, making him the NBA’s longest-tenured owner. But the NBA recently initiated a charge to terminate his ownership,
outlining a list of actions that have have “damaged and continue to
damage the NBA and its teams” while also listing off a series of
negative impacts on the league. The NBA is taking issue with Sterling
for the following reasons:

Disparaging African-Americans and minorities.

Directing a female acquaintance not to associate publicly with
African-Americans or to bring African-Americans to Clippers games.

Criticizing African-Americans for not supporting their communities.

The first two items relate to comments made by Sterling to his girlfriend, V. Stiviano, in a private tape that was released by TMZ. The third item relates to comments made during an interview with CNN this month. The NBA is listing the following impacts of Sterling’s comments and behavior:

Significantly undermining the NBA’s efforts to promote diversity and inclusion.

Damaging the NBA’s relationship with its fans.

Harming NBA owners, players and Clippers team personnel.

Impairing the NBA’s relationship with marketing and merchandising partners, as well as with government and community leaders.

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